The topic of early childhood experience as it relates to long-term health is rather personal for me and has been my chosen topic of research for many years. In some ways, it has been a search for meaning. Having been raised in a very scary environment fraught with intermittent bouts of rage, alcohol, and domestic violence, my sense of safety and security were fleeting at best.

I really get it, why my father was so abusive and tormented or why my mother was unable to formulate a plan to protect us. I’ve come to understand that part of my experience as a piece of a puzzle in the all too common multi-generational transmission of interpersonal trauma.

What I have struggled with is understanding my enduring response to adverse childhood experience and how it has impacted my sense of self, my beliefs, and my general health and well-being.

Last century, fundamental advances were made in medicine, both in studying the disease process and in developing methods and treatments to overcome disease which have led to the present model of the adult onset of diseaseand chronic illness. In this model, once you hit 50, all kinds of things start to go wrong in the body.

Adult Onset of Disease Model

As a health care practitioner, I find this perspective somewhat limiting since more recent research is now exploring the link between adult health status and early childhood experience. In fact, in 1999, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) invited scientists and researchers specializing in early childhood experience to form the Early Experience, Stress Neurobiology & Prevention Science network. Their task has been to correlate data from animal studies of early life experience with data from human psychosocial research in the study of emotional and stress-related disorders. Their findings suggest that the effects of early life stress are cumulative and far-reaching, giving us insight into the role of early life experience in long-term health. This series will explore this fascinating and relevant topic in more detail so stay tuned!

Have your ever thought of stress as cumulative? Do you think that early childhood experience, positive or negative, can impact adult health?

Metaphor of Body as Machine

The long-established metaphor, body as a machine, a by-product of reductionism (the primary scientific method of inquiry used in the study of living systems) is losing its relevance in the face of advancing scientific knowledge. Why should this matter to you and me? It matters because according to medical anthropologists, Robbie Davis-Floyd and Gloria St. John, the cultural manner in which the body is defined determines how it is viewed and treated within the medical health care system.

Biomedicine and the Reductionist Method

Most of us were introduced to the reductionist method in our high school science classes. In bio-medicine, this method involves the breaking down and dissecting of anatomical structures and physiological pathways into biochemical and structural components for analysis with the aim of developing more effective ways to intervene in the disease process. While this approach has supported advancements in molecular biology, pharmacology, and surgical interventions, it is proving to be too limited in understanding and intervening in chronic illnesses as these tend to be whole-body-systems disorders. More importantly, this perspective nearly discards what physiologist Dr. James Oschman calls “the single most important attribute” of every living organism: it’s systemic interconnectedness.

Beyond the Metaphor

With chronic disease becoming epidemic and health care costs skyrocketing out of control, it behooves researcher and consumer alike to examine the emerging evidence of contemporary models of the human body which have incorporated the principle of holism, the idea that the body must be studied as a whole interconnected system. This series will explore the emerging idea of body as information system and discuss how this novel perspective can help you take charge of your health and wellness in order to avoid or reverse chronic disease.

How do you experience your body, as a machine that can have its parts reworked or replaced when needed or as a dynamic interconnected system? Do the two concepts mutually exclude each other?

Post Snippets

Myofascial Restriction Leads to Loss of Mobility Simply put, mobility is what separates the living from the dead. That’s why cultivating and retaining it should be a primary focus of healthy aging. However, the gradual loss of movement and myofascial restriction are so subtle that we are often taken completely by surprise when one day, basic movements… [Continue Reading]

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Have you ever had the experience of meeting someone for the first time, where you felt completely at ease, as if you had known this person for ages? Where you felt open and free to share who you are? Or have you had the opposite experience, where you felt your defenses come up immediately when… [Continue Reading]

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Attunement With The Seasons Does it feel as if time is slowing down? Have you recently had moments when time seemed to stand still? What about your thoughts and activities? Have you noticed a subtle shift away from doing towards a deeper level of contemplation, towards being? Or perhaps you feel more tranquil, experiencing an expanding… [Continue Reading]

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Satisfaction and Experience Savor the experience–experience of what? The experience of everyday activities. Why might that be helpful? Well, think about it. Does it seem as if every week just whizzes by leaving you wondering, where did all the time go? Or how about the year? Does it feel like time is speeding up to you? … [Continue Reading]

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What did you think of the results of the Copenhagen Heart Study? It was released November 6, 2012, at a meeting of the American Heart Association. Four Visible Factors Identified in Copenhagen Heart Study The study linked the following four visible signs of aging to an increased risk of heart disease and heart attack: Balding on the top… [Continue Reading]

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Biological cause of fibromyalgia pain finally identified! This discovery was made by a team of researchers who study skin-related pain. It was published in Pain Medicine, the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. The study focused on women who suffer from fibromyalgia pain and sensitivities in their hands. In the study, researchers used microscope technology… [Continue Reading]

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Have you ever noticed that when you walk barefoot on the grass or in the sand, that you feel good, perhaps even more energized? That’s what noted physiologist, Dr. James Oschman proposes. He suggests that we literally need to connect with the ground in order to stay healthy because it appears to enhance the function… [Continue Reading]

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If you are a small business owner, you’ve probably come to understand that building online relationships is key to forming alliances, attracting new business, and solidifying current client/customer relationships. As a small business owner who is relatively new to the world of online social media marketing (SoMe), I am constantly gleaning helpful information from online… [Continue Reading]

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Healthy Living: Is it within Your Reach? If you’re alive, then health matters to you and your loved ones. A healthy state allows us to do the things we love while giving us the strength to fulfill our cherished roles as partner, husband, wife, father, mother, grandparent etc. It also supports us in contributing to society… [Continue Reading]

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Since beginning this blog nearly a year ago, I have written several articles about scar tissue, fascia , liquid crystalline properties of living tissue, the connective tissue matrix, post-surgical issues like trauma, pain and adhesions, and acupuncture in connective tissue remodeling. I’ve been tracking the blog statistics and there seems to be a continued interest in these subjects from… [Continue Reading]

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It’s stressful, isn’t it, when we hold back expressing how we really feel about an emotionally-charged topic while socially engaged with someone. That’s because expressing emotion is instinctive to our nature, helping us connect, bond, and relate to one another. In fact, emotional expression is the basis of social harmony and since we have become… [Continue Reading]

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Neck Pain and Computers Almost all of the patients I treat work with computers and suffer from neck pain. An examination of their posture usually reveals that their head is no longer aligned with their shoulders. Instead, it has moved into a forward position, creating changes in the neck and shoulders. This is an example… [Continue Reading]

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Liquid Crystalline Tissues When I first became acquainted with Mae-Wan Ho and James Oschman‘s theory that the human body’s connective tissue matrix is liquid crystalline in nature, I was completely intrigued. This made so much sense to me since I was already aware of the body’s bioelectrical capacity to move blood and transfer energy or… [Continue Reading]

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Embodiment and Embodied Experience Embodiment is a concept discussed within the field of somatic psychology (bodymind psychotherapy). The primary principle of embodiment holds that all experience registers in the body, brain, and mind. It also involves the innate capacity to learn and adapt to a change in the environment. We know we are having an… [Continue Reading]

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Have you made healthy aging a priority? We’re never too young or too old to begin. That being the case, I thought you might enjoy going off the beaten path to consider a novel developmental perspective of successful aging discussed within the field of somatic psychology, a sub-discipline of psychology. Researchers within this field recognize… [Continue Reading]

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As discussed in previous posts, body dissatisfaction continues to be an issue for women, often times, throughout their lives. I am particularly concerned with how much pressure is put upon young mothers today, to quickly return to their pre-pregnancy weight and body size, ASAP. It’s highlighted in all the celebrity gossip magazines, showing how rapidly so-and-so… [Continue Reading]

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Body dissatisfaction has become a popular topic of study in the past 30 years as researchers chronicle the western world’s obsession with thinness which is associated with health issues. Even pregnancy can trigger pre-existing feelings of body dissatisfaction, or create new feelings around weight gain, as a woman’s body changes its shape and size to accommodate… [Continue Reading]

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‘A massive generation of sick people.’ Those are the words Reuben Greg Brewer used when blogging about the recent JAMA study which found that today’s baby boomers are sicker than their parents were at the same age, suffering from chronic illness and disability related to: diabetes high blood pressure high cholesterol obesity lifestyle medications. How often… [Continue Reading]

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As a holistic practitioner and somatic therapist, I have come to appreciate that the best way to approach serious health issues is to become informed about the course of an illness as well as its medical treatment. While holistic medicine emphasizes prevention and works very well to resolve many chronic health conditions, sometimes more drastic… [Continue Reading]

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Did you know that your life experience is tied to your long-term health? Life experience challenges our body’s resources and is cumulative. The concept of embodiment and embodied experience is a rather new concept which I find intriguing. I’ve also discovered that looking at health from a different perspective can actually give us more options.… [Continue Reading]

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Being Biologically Rude A light went on for me when I first came across the expression ‘biologically rude’ because at times, in my youth, I had been accused of being “rude.” This was so puzzling to me because my manners were not the issue. Something else entirely was going on! Let me explain. In my… [Continue Reading]

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The topic of early childhood experience as it relates to long-term health is rather personal for me and has been my chosen topic of research for many years. In some ways, it has been a search for meaning. Having been raised in a very scary environment fraught with intermittent bouts of rage, alcohol, and domestic… [Continue Reading]

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Energetic approaches to health and wellness are dramatically changing the face of medicine which makes it a very exciting time to be a practitioner in the field of energy medicine. As I began writing this post, I realized that it’s difficult to define energy medicine because it means different things to different people. NCCAM, the… [Continue Reading]

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Weight Gain in Puberty: A Source of Body Dissatisfaction Almost everyone will agree that puberty is a tumultuous time, rich in contradictions and budding possibilities. Body image is a big issue with most children moving into puberty since it involves body changes and normal weight gain, especially fat. Normal fat functions to keep the body… [Continue Reading]

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As a practitioner of holistic medicine, I really enjoy talking about non-invasive methods that support health and resolve illness. One of the tools that I use is LED color-light therapy. LED is the acronym for light-emitting diodes which act as semiconductors, releasing electrons in the form of photons or little packets of light. I use… [Continue Reading]

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Generally speaking, humans are social creatures who demonstrate a lifetime need to connect and engage with others. In our recent discussion of the biology of social engagement, we considered how we are hard-wired for connection from birth on and that the behaviors associated with interaction appear to be controlled by the 10th Cranial Nerve, the… [Continue Reading]

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Metaphor of Body as Machine The long-established metaphor, body as a machine, a by-product of reductionism (the primary scientific method of inquiry used in the study of living systems) is losing its relevance in the face of advancing scientific knowledge. Why should this matter to you and me? It matters because according to medical anthropologists,… [Continue Reading]

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Two things reached ludicrous speed for me the past week or so, the precocious behavior of an exploited reality TV show child named Honey Boo Boo (HBB) who is gaining wide exposure on talk shows across the nation and the ‘almost psychopath‘ term coined by two Harvard researchers. What do they have in common with each other?… [Continue Reading]

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Spring is born out of winter’s quietude, allowing us to move forward with renewed creativity, enthusiasm, and energy for life. Juicing and fasting are favored by many as ways to wake-up body systems from the slumber of winter. For example, did you know that even a one-day fast will allow your liver/gallbladder system to rest, helping it to… [Continue Reading]

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In my acupuncture practice, it is common for patients to report discomfort associated with scar tissue, especially following a surgical procedure. While the formation of scar tissue is a natural function of healing, it can also become a chronic source of pain and discomfort that can last for years. Recently, at the 3rd Research Fascia… [Continue Reading]

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What difference would it make, if we could measure pain? We usually learn what pain is from our earliest experiences of physical tissue damage. It may also have a psychological or emotional basis. Pain can described as a subjective felt experience because it is influenced by an individual’s feelings, mind, and experience. That’s also why it can be so tricky to diagnose and… [Continue Reading]

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Wow, a new emerging diagnostic term for people who share some of the same personality features as real psychopaths. And did you know that there are more ‘almost psychopaths‘ in the world than real psychopaths according to researchers at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Kormaroff, and authors Ron Schouten and Jim Silver? In their new book,… [Continue Reading]

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If you were teased as a child about your body size and weight, if your mother always fretted about gaining weight, or if you felt “fat” as a child, a teen, or during pregnancy, chances are you will also experience some level of body dissatisfaction in menopause as your body undergoes further physical changes. Since… [Continue Reading]

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Media-Driven Body Image and Body Dissatisfaction Body image in the media has been a topic of research for some time. It’s an economically driven phenomena that plays on body dissatisfaction, insecurity, and magical thinking. How can we help our daughters form a healthy perception of their bodies, rendering them less vulnerable to body dissatisfaction? Understanding… [Continue Reading]

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What is Sarcopenia? Did you know that a continuous, lifelong process of muscle loss, known as sarcopenia, begins around the age of 30 and continues with a 3-5% loss of muscle mass and muscle strength with the passing of each decade? Sad but true. While losing muscle is considered a normal consequence of the aging process,… [Continue Reading]

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I am fascinated by the concept of the embodied self, how the sense of core self develops and how this creates the mind. Yes, the emergence of the embodied self is a fascinating topic, one that boggles the mind and fires the imagination. This emergent process is not unlike baking a cake! … [Continue Reading]

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Rather than being limited to an internal, individualized physiological experience, it turns out that emotions are social. They are chiefly generated through social interaction. Putting it simply, the most common cause for emotion is another person. That makes so much sense, doesn’t it? Social Interaction Causes Emotion to Unfold Emotion usually ignites and unfolds in response… [Continue Reading]

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If you are an entrepreneur marketing your business services online, then you are already aware of the need to develop rapport with prospective clients/customers in order to forge relationships and to develop alliances. I find the concept of building rapport to be fascinating because we seem to be hardwired for it, to need it. We… [Continue Reading]

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Dis-ease is a key precursor to illness. It is a state of subtle energetic imbalance which may reflect deep-seated experiences of anguish, grief, distress, misfortune, suffering, or trial. If relief is delayed too long, the energetics associated with these states of being may eventually materialize in the tissues of the body, towards a diagnostically identifiable state of… [Continue Reading]

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Yes, another year has rolled around and I find myself another decade older this time–sixty years old! For all you youngsters out there, you will eventually understand the reality of the often repeated phrase, “I don’t feel any older, I am the same person I have always been . . .” yet, truth be told,… [Continue Reading]

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The amazing properties of water are well understood in scientific research. Its ability to change states from a liquid to a gas or a solid (depicted in the beautiful image of the lake with rising fog and clouds above), make it a unique constituent of all living systems. Water is also a solvent, capable of… [Continue Reading]

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Fascia, Scar Tissue and Tissue Remodeling Is it possible to remodel body tissue like fascia, especially if it has become altered by scar tissue? That question is of keen interest for me, both personally and professionally. Recently, I had the privilege of attending the 3rd Fascia Research Congress, held in Vancouver, B.C., March 28-30, 2012. … [Continue Reading]

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With all the buzz about social networking, it crossed my mind that you might like to know more about the biological system that supports social interaction–the social engagement system. A deeper understanding of the neurophysiology of our life-long drive to connect with others gives us insight into our behavior in relationship to another and can… [Continue Reading]

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Celluite-The Bane of all Women! Whether a teen or an adult, cellulite is the bane of all women. If fact, one statistic I came across claimed that the percentage of cellulite in women compared to men is 90:10, respectively. That’s estrogen for you! On top of that, many women feel so much cultural pressure to look… [Continue Reading]

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The Dilemma of Childhood Experience and Parenting Strategies What is the impact of one’s own childhood experience on their parenting strategies as an adult? I’ve never met a parent who didn’t want the best for their children. I’m not referring to wealth or material acquisitions. I’m talking about the instilling of qualities that underlie the… [Continue Reading]